Taken
by Fading Dawn
Summary: Madison's pregnant, and everyone knows... except for Ephram, whose life is perfect, now that he's with Amy. How will this affect them? EA pairing (Ch. 10 up!)
1. Cry

A/N: I do not own Everwood, it's characters, or anything it contains. This story picks up after the season 2 finale. Ephram and Amy totally have my heart, so I don't think you need to worry about this becoming a Madison story. 

**Chapter 1:**

Those ten blissful days that Ephram Brown and Amy Abbott spent together in New York before the start of Ephram's studies at Julliard were full of love, happiness, and most of all—satisfaction. Ephram had always known he was meant to be with her; he felt it every time he saw her tuck her bangs behind her ears, heard her musical laughter, and smelled her warm vanilla scent. 

"Ephram!" Amy squealed between high-pitched giggles. The couple had been sitting on the edge of a large fountain. Ephram had his arm around Amy while she leaned her head back on his shoulder. They were chatting lightheartedly. When a moment of silence came, Ephram reached his free hand behind him and flicked water at his new girlfriend. God, it feels good to think that, Ephram thought happily. 

Amy's clothes were now thoroughly wet. She didn't let him get away with splashing her that easily though—he was soaked too. "Ephram," she laughed, "we have to stop. People are going to call us down for acting crazy." 

"Fine," he said, putting his hands on her waist. She put her arms around his neck and gave him a peck on the lips. She chuckled. This was the first time she had realized that he had gotten considerably taller since last year. 

"Are you hungry?" Ephram asked her. 

"I could go for something," Amy replied. "Just no bagel shops, please," she joked. 

---

Back in Everwood, ten-year-old Delia thrashed about in her bed. She mumbled things into her pillow, still asleep, before finally screaming. Two minutes later, Dr. Andy Brown was at her side. 

"Delia," he shook her gently. "Delia, wake up, you're having a bad dream." 

Delia turned over and opened her eyes slowly. She groaned. "Dad, what are you doing?" 

"Are you okay, sweetie? You screamed in your sleep," Andy said. "I knew we shouldn't have went to that movie with the Abbott's. Did the Wolf Man scare you?" 

"Yeah, but it's okay, Dad," Delia said, exasperated. "Bright was about to come and rescue me." 

"What?" Andy said, confused. 

"In the dream," Delia said, rolling her sleepy eyes. 

"Oh," Andy said with a smile. "Well, I'll leave you alone then. Good night, sweetheart." He gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek and left. 

---

Ephram decided to call and check up with his dad the next night. He picked up his cell phone from the nightstand of his dorm room and dialed his home number. He checked his watch. It was 7:30 PM back in Everwood. 

"Hello?" Andy picked up on the third ring. 

"Hey, Dad, what's up?" Ephram asked. 

"Oh, nothing much…" 

"What's wrong?" 

"It's nothing, Ephram." 

"You sound really troubled." 

"It's nothing you need to worry about." 

Ephram sighed. "Okay. How's Delia?" 

"She's doing great. She's over at Nina's playing with Sam right now." 

Ephram could tell his father was smiling over the phone, but the cheeriness in his father's voice never sounded so fake. "Well, I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay," Ephram said. "And so is Amy, so you can tell Dr. Abbott that." 

"Sure." 

"I'll talk to you later, Dad." 

"Bye." 

"Knock, knock, Ephram," Amy peeked her head around the corner. "Your door wasn't locked." 

"Hey," he said, putting the phone back on the hook. "What are you doing here?" 

"I took a cab. Is it too late?" 

"No, no, it's not," he took her hand. 

"Are you okay?" She asked. 

"I guess so, but… it's just… my dad's been acting really strange." 

Amy shrugged. "I'm sure he just misses you." 

"Yeah… maybe." 

There were a few moments of comfortable silence where the two teen lovers just stared into each other's eyes. Then Amy walked over to the bed and fell backwards onto it. Ephram slowly followed and sat down next to her. "You know," he said. "When I was with Madison, I really did love her, had these amazing feelings for her…" He trailed off. 

"And?" Amy said softly, sitting up. 

"But they weren't the same as the feelings I had with you. I've always liked you, Amy. And unlike with Madison, these feelings just won't go away. I mean, they haven't yet, and it's been two years." 

"Are you saying you're over her?" Amy asked. 

"Yeah. And totally into you." 

Amy smiled as he kissed her long and slow—exactly the way he wanted this relationship to be. 

---

Andy sat on the porch swing, rubbing his temples. It was late, and he definitely couldn't sleep. He couldn't believe he had even allowed Ephram to have the relationship with Madison. Now she was pregnant. 

"Pregnant with my grandchild," Andy put his head in his hands, allowing a few tears to well up. 

"Andy?" A soft, familiar voice rang out through the darkness. 

Andy looked over with red eyes to see Nina standing on her own porch. "Nina," he said, surprised, "what are you doing up?" 

"Well, probably not for the same reason you are," Nina said sadly, walking over. 

"You heard me, huh?" 

Nina sighed and sat down. "Well, it wasn't the first time." 

"What do you mean? I…" Andy stopped, going over everything in his mind. "I told Edna," he then said sadly. 

Nina nodded sympathetically. 

"God… I've screwed up royally. Now everyone in Everwood probably knows." 

"Except Ephram," Nina added. 

"Well, and Amy. I guess this is going to be another one of those summers where I'm shunned upon." 

"Has Madison decided what she's going to do yet?" 

"No. Not yet. But I told her that I would support her in whatever she did." 

"But you also told her not to tell Ephram." 

Andy looked at his friend. "You think I'm wrong about this?" 

"Well, I don't know, Andy, would you want someone keeping the fact that you had another son or daughter out there from you?" 

Andy was silent as he thought about the dream incident he'd had with Delia the night before. "No," he said truthfully. 

----- 

Yes, there will be a chapter 2, of course! ;) 


	2. No Reason

A/N: For the disclaimer, see chapter 1. 

**Recap:**

"I've always liked you, Amy. And unlike with Madison, these feelings just won't go away. I mean, they haven't yet, and it's been two years." 

"Are you saying you're over her?" Amy asked. 

---

"Would you want someone keeping the fact that you had another son or daughter out there from you?" 

Andy was silent as he thought about the dream incident he'd had with Delia the night before. "No," he said truthfully. 

**Chapter 2:**

_One week later._

"Do you really have to leave tomorrow?" Ephram asked Amy sadly as they walked hand-in-hand into the restaurant. 

"Yes," She said tediously. "I wouldn't want to distract you while you're studying. This is huge, Ephram. I want you to make it count, okay?" 

"You know I will." 

"Yeah, I do know." 

The hostess seated them. "Wow, I think this is the nicest place we've eaten at all week," Amy commented. 

"Yes, it is," Ephram said. "I wanted tonight to be special. I won't be able to see you for another eight weeks." 

"That's a long time," Amy said wistfully. 

"But not too long," Ephram tried to comfort, more for himself than for Amy. "Do you want me to come over to Nonni's tonight and help you pack or anything?" 

"Sure, that would be really helpful." 

Ephram reached under the table for her hand as they both studied the menu. 

---

"The office looks great, Dad," Bright said as he and his mother took a tour of Dr. Harold Abbott's new space. 

"Thank you, I owe it all to Louise, really, though. She thought the thin black border along the top of the walls would be calming," Harold said. 

"Well, I say we should go out to celebrate," Rose announced. "Why don't we have dinner at Mama Joy's?" 

"Aww, come on, Mom, you know we'll be going there tomorrow anyway, with Amy coming h—" 

"I think that's a TERRIFIC idea, Rose," Harold said, interrupting his son. 

"Maybe we should invite Andy along," Rose said as they started walking out the door. 

Harold rolled his eyes ever so slightly. "Oh, why the hell not?" 

--- 

"Bye," Amy said softly while hugging Ephram. She was about to board her plane. "It's only eight weeks, right?" She said while letting go of his hand. 

"Amy," Ephram shouted after her. 

She turned around. 

"Wait for me," he said intently. 

She nodded, turned, and left. 

---

Somehow, few people were finding out about Madison's pregnancy, even though two weeks had gone by since Madison had told Andy. Edna, Irv, Nina, and some other workers around town knew, but they were keeping the secret contained fairly well. Luckily, Andy still had six more weeks before he had to decide whether or not to tell Ephram. Well, at least whether he should as soon as he saw him or not. 

"Andy? Andy?" 

"Oh, thank you, Nina," Andy said, waking back up to the reality that was Mama Joy's, taking his plate of meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. 

Nina smiled knowingly. "It's on the house. You look particularly troubled today." 

Andy sighed. "If only you knew." 

"Well, maybe I can. Wanna talk about it?" 

Before Andy could say anything else, Harold came bursting through the door. Andy shut his mouth abruptly. "Hello, Andy," he said good-naturedly. "Nina." 

Nina smiled and leaned towards Andy before heading back into the kitchen. "We can just talk later, okay?" 

Andy nodded and turned back to Harold, who was taking the seat next to him. "So, Harold, why are you so chipper today?" 

"Can't a man enjoy the sunshine? And a good…" A waitress approached him. "Oh, I'll have a slice of that delightful-looking dutch apple pie, please," he ordered, pointing inside the case of desserts. 

Andy just smiled and took a bite of his potatoes. _Why is it that everything is right in the world to everyone except me?_ He thought. 

---

"You've got to be kidding me," Amy said as she folded laundry. She and Bright were talking in her room. 

"No, I'm not," he said. "Maybe the bagel shop wasn't such a bad idea. All we need is a little more advertising and some extra stuff to spice it up. It'll be perfect! Come on, Amy, please don't ruin this for me. This could be the only chance I've got." 

"I'm not trying to ruin it for you, Bright. Aren't you going to ECC this year?" 

"Yeah, probably, but if I do this then I might not have to go full-time. I know I can do this. It'll be huge, I'm telling you." 

Bright's idea to try to reopen the bagel shop and turn it into a café geared towards teenagers sounded great to Amy, she just didn't know if he was up to it. 

"Well, you need to at least talk to Dad." 

Bright gave her a look that said "duh." "Of course I will." 

"Okay, whatever. Good luck with that. Now get out of here so I can get some work done." 

"Sure… oh, wait, have you talked to Ephram recently?" 

"No, I haven't talked to him since I left New York. I told myself I wasn't even going to try to reach him. These weeks of playing are going to be stressful enough for him as it is." 

"You're not stressful for him," Bright said with subtlety. 

"Whatever, just… go away, okay?" 

---

"Have you talked to Madison any more recently?" Nina questioned Andy that night on his front porch. In the warm summer night air was their favorite place to be whenever they wanted to talk. 

"No, it's a little strange, actually. I mean, I sort of expected her to show up for another check-up, or something." 

"Maybe she actually took your advice and left." 

"Maybe. Or maybe she's just avoiding me." 

Nina felt horrible for Andy. The sad, regretful look in his eyes broke her heart every time she saw him. 

"Andy," she said. He looked at her. "Will you promise me something?" 

"Anything." 

"If you do end up getting to know your first grandchild within the next year, promise me that… that you'll let me help you raise it. You and Ephram, together, because we both know he can't handle this on his own." 

Andy took her hand. Nina inspired him. He knew he had to tell Ephram as soon as he came home. And he knew that this child, if carried to full term, was going to become a big part of his life in some way or another. 

"I wouldn't have it any other way." 

----- 

Aww, Andy/Nina cuteness. I hope you all love it as much as I do. lol


	3. Black Balloon

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter out, but I was out of town over the weekend. Here it is, hope it wasn't too long of a wait for you all! I'm trying to write whenever I can, and have inspiration ;) 

**Recap:**

"Bye," Amy said softly while hugging Ephram. She was about to board her plane. "It's only eight weeks, right?" She said while letting go of his hand. 

"Amy," Ephram shouted after her. 

She turned around. 

"Wait for me," he said intently. 

**Chapter 3:**

_Six weeks later._

_Amy… Amy… Amy… I get to see Amy._ This was the main thing that was running through Ephram's mind while on the plane back to Denver. Of course we was excited to see Bright, Delia, and even his dad again, too. _The first thing I'm gonna do is hug her, then kiss her, and tell her how much I missed her… God, eight weeks IS a long time…_

The dinging sound of the plane interrupted Ephram's thoughts. "We are now arriving upon Denver International Airport. Please buckle your seatbelts and get ready to land," the flight attendant announced over the speaker. 

---

Amy and her brother were rushing through the airport. Amy was so anxious. Did he have a good time? Did he learn lots of new things? Did he miss her? 

"Amy, are you okay? You look like you're hyperventilating or something," Bright commented as they walked. 

"Yeah, I'm just really excited," Amy replied. "The first thing I'm gonna do when I see him is hug him, kiss him, and tell him how much I missed him… God, Bright, eight weeks really is kind of a long time, you know? I missed him so much." 

"Yeah, sure," Bright said, not sure how to respond to her thought overflow. "Well, I missed him too." 

The airport was huge, and there were lots of seats at every gate. It didn't look like anyone had come off a plane yet, though. "We're right on time," Amy said, checking her watch. She looked up at a nearby board. "It looks like his plane was a little delayed," she said. "Come on, let's sit," she told Bright. 

She didn't know that the newest member of her boyfriend's family was resting, perfectly content, just on the other end of the gate. 

---

Ephram got off the plane. He knew Amy and Bright would be there to greet him when he got inside. His dad couldn't make it because of an appointment, or so he said. 

From a distance, he thought he saw her sitting way over by the window. He could only see the back of her head. The long, blonde hair was familiar. She turned and started walking toward him, but the closer she got, the more he realized that she wasn't Amy. No, it definitely wasn't Amy, because she was coming from his other side. _Wait… oh my God._ Ephram thought. 

The three met in the exact same spot, with Bright looking on behind them. "Madison," Ephram and Amy said simultaneously. Ephram felt like he'd gotten the wind knocked out of him. So did Amy. 

"W-W-What are you doing here?" Ephram asked Madison. That's when he noticed the change in her body. His heart almost jumped out of his mouth. 

Madison was definitely surprised to see Amy there. "I… had to tell you something." 

Amy was trying not to cry. She may have only been about four months along, but Madison was definitely showing. She glanced over at Ephram. He obviously had not known about this, which made her feel slightly better, but not much. Amy just stood there, frozen, not knowing what else to do. 

"Well, I guess it's obvious," Madison said, trying to lighten the mood, which was practically impossible. "Ephram… I'm pregnant." 

Tears spilled over Amy's cheeks as she looked from Ephram to Madison. Ephram noticed and immediately took Amy's hand, trying to assure her in some way, when really what he needed the most was someone to reassure him. 

---

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" 

It was the first thing Ephram screamed when he walked into the doors of his own home for the first time in over eight weeks. Andy squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and walked into the living room from the kitchen. 

"I was going to." 

"BUT YOU DIDN'T. How could you keep this from me?!" 

"I was trying to do what was best for you! Do you really think that I should have told you that your 21-year-old ex-girlfriend was pregnant right before you left for New York? You never would have gone!" 

"Does that make the fact that you told her to leave Everwood and NEVER tell me about this okay?" Ephram screeched. "She told me everything, Dad. Everything, so you can't hide it anymore. I can't believe this, I just… I can't believe it. I thought you were actually starting to learn, but you still have a very long way to go before you even get into the 'just okay' father category to me!" Ephram stormed upstairs. 

Andy closed his eyes and waited. Mostly for Delia to come downstairs and ask him what was wrong. He stood there for about three minutes before Ephram came walking back down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom and said quietly, "How, Dad? How could I let this happen?" He started crying. 

Andy walked over to him. "Ephram, this is not your fault. Actually, it's mine." 

"No, Dad, you were right all along. I've been so stupid. I've acted like a little kid. I don't know how I ever could have let myself get so deep into a relationship with her." 

"Ephram, hear me out. While I regret not talking to you more about sleeping with her, I don't regret letting you experience the relationship. You've become a much more mature and knowledgeable person because of this." 

"That doesn't help the matter, though. I'm not ready for this, Dad. What about my last year of high school? What about you and Delia? What… what about Amy? Dad, I... I think I love her. I don't want to lose her because of this." 

"I don't think you will. Not if she really cares about you. Look, Ephram, I'm not going to stand here and tell you that this is going to be easy. But the same people you've always had are still going to be there for you. And Madison, if she needs them." 

Ephram ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the couch. "She said she was coming in to see you again on Thursday," he mentioned quietly. "I'm going to be there, too." 

"That's fine." 

---

Amy had spent the past two days since Ephram had returned home in her room. She was scared and confused. "How am I supposed to know how to feel or what to do?" Amy said softly out loud. 

Suddenly Amy's phone rang. She reached over to the nightstand and picked it up. "Hello?" 

"Hey, Amy." 

"Ephram," she said breathlessly. 

"How are you?" He didn't really know what else to say. 

"Um… I'm okay… I guess…" she paused. "I think that's what I should be asking you." 

"I'm fine, I just… can you come to my Dad's office? Like, right now?" Ephram tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Madison is supposed to be here any minute and I just need you here." 

Amy's breath caught in her throat. She thought about it for a minute. "Okay," she finally said. "Just give me ten minutes." 

By the time Amy got to Dr. Brown's office, Madison was already there. She looked scared. Ephram looked downright terrified, but he seemed relieved when Amy walked in. She immediately went and sat down next to him on the bench. Madison was sitting in a chair a few feet away from them. The whole thing was very awkward for Amy. 

"We're having this meeting here mainly to discuss the matter of Madison being pregnant," Andy looked at Madison. "I've already done a checkup and everything seems fine. Amy, neither Madison nor I expected you to be here, but Ephram wanted you here, so… here we all are." 

Ephram looked upward, realizing that his dad was just about as clueless as he was about this whole thing. 

Madison spoke before Andy could say anything else. "I know I haven't really talked to you since I first told you about nine weeks ago. I'm sorry, I just couldn't do what you asked me to," Madison glanced at Ephram. "I couldn't just not tell you, Ephram." 

Madison was getting emotional. Amy looked down at her hands, the reality of the whole situation hitting her. 

"Madison, please, don't… you didn't do anything wrong," Ephram tried to say. 

"Maybe not just a few days ago, but about four and a half months ago I did…" Madison choked out. 

Ephram closed his eyes. Amy reached for his hand and kissed his shoulder, trying to stay calm—for him. 

"Alright, alright," Andy said. "Madison... have you chosen to keep this baby?" 

"Yes, I have." 

----- 

Okay... fourth chapter coming soon! Thanks for all the reviews so far!! 


	4. Dare You To Move

A/N: I hope you all are enjoying this... please keep reviewing, because it gives me an idea of what direction to take the story in and whether or not I should keep going! 

**Recap:**

"Well, I guess it's obvious," Madison said, trying to lighten the mood, which was practically impossible. "Ephram… I'm pregnant." 

---

Madison was getting emotional. Amy looked down at her hands, the reality of the whole situation hitting her. 

"Madison, please, don't… you didn't do anything wrong," Ephram tried to say. 

"Maybe not just a few days ago, but about four and a half months ago I did…" Madison choked out. 

**Chapter 4:**

"I wanna keep the baby," Madison said to Andy and Ephram. "But I'm moving in a few weeks to San Francisco to live with my sister." 

Ephram sighed. He had expected this. He started trying to digest everything. _I AM only seventeen,_ he thought. _I can't handle taking care of a baby right now._ He looked over to Amy, who was beginning to seem more and more like an angel to him, just sitting there. He knew she would support him no matter what happened. Then to his dad, who he knew was thinking the exact same thing as he was right then. And finally to Madison, the only woman he had ever had sex with, who was now carrying his child. Suddenly Ephram felt a little helpless, realizing that if Madison moved, he very well could either never see his child again, or offer to raise it himself, which he was smart enough to know he just wasn't ready for. Ephram took a deep breath. "You have to take care of her, Madison." Ephram said, surprising himself. 

Amy was confused. "Her?" She asked, speaking her first word of the whole meeting. 

"I mean… it." What am I doing, Ephram thought. Since when do I care about what the sex of the baby is going to be? 

Madison gave a very small smile and nodded. "I know that." 

---

Ephram and Amy walked out of Dr. Brown's office silently. They didn't speak at all until they were driving back to Ephram's house in Amy's car. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Amy said quietly. 

"What do you want me to say?" He asked. 

"I don't know. Maybe talk about the scary fact that you're gonna have a kid that you'll probably never see again, unless it decides to go on some kind of adventure and try to find its father once its our age," Amy paused as they pulled into the driveway. She turned off the car. "Or maybe the happy fact that the one girl you've ever really loved is carrying your first child. I mean, life is an amazing thing, you have to be happy at some degree." Suddenly, Amy started crying uncontrollably, so hard that she opened her car door and crumpled onto the pavement. 

Ephram rushed out of the car and over to her, startled. "Amy," he said, concerned. "Are you upset? Is it because of me? Madison? The baby?" 

Amy just shook her head. "You don't understand." 

"Understand what? Amy, I don't know what's wrong." 

Amy sat up. "Everything's wrong!" She practically yelled. "Don't you get it? I'm in love with you and… and I'm upset that I didn't get there first. I didn't get to you first." 

"Wait… you're in love with me?" 

"Ephram, I've been in love with you. Ever since the day you told me I had a warped mind, admitted that you lied to me about Colin, and wrote me that song. It's been an ongoing thing, I just… I haven't actually realized it until recently. Even when I was so wrapped up in Colin that I couldn't try to sort out my feelings for you, and even with Tommy, I… I was just trying to distract myself. I'm so stupid for that," More tears came down Amy's cheeks. "Were you in love with Madison?" 

"I-I don't know." Now that Amy had just told him all this, he wasn't so sure anymore. "I don't." Was he actually in love with Madison? No, he answered himself. I was infatuated with her. "N-no… I didn't," he admitted to himself and to Amy. 

Amy was silent for a moment. "You seem surprised," she then said. 

"The feelings I had for Madison don't compare to the ones I have for you, Amy. I've had feelings for you ever since I moved here. I… I truly think that… that we're meant to be. You have to understand me, Amy," Ephram tilted her chin so that she was looking at him. "I love you, too." 

Amy cried some more, but her tears were now flowing because of joy. 

"And now that I'm sitting here on cold pavement, crying with you, I wish that you had come first, too. I don't regret my relationship with Madison, because I really think that if it hadn't have happened I wouldn't be able to have what I have with you today, but I do regret having sex with her. Because… because I didn't love her." 

Amy stared at him for a few moments, her expression changing from touched to slightly amused. "You sure know how to seduce a woman." 

Ephram blushed. 

"But I'm not ready." 

"I didn't expect you to be. Amy, I'd wait forever for you." 

---

"I found out the sex of the baby with Madison today." Andy told Ephram the next day when he got home from his first day of school. Ephram was a senior—he couldn't believe it. 

Ephram grimaced. "Dad…" he started. 

"I didn't know whether you would want to know or not—" 

"Well, I don't, okay? I don't. Don't you understand that that's only going to make it harder for me? I don't want to know any more about this whole thing. You know, I'm almost starting to wish that you had kept this from me," Ephram slumped onto the couch and put his head in his hands. 

"Well, what do you want me to do, Ephram? Because I don't know anymore." Andy said. 

"I know you're gonna help her financially and stuff, and I'm glad you're doing that, I mean, that's the least that we can do, right? I don't want her to be stuck doing this totally on her own, because the baby is just as much mine as it is hers. I just… I don't want to hear about it, okay? This baby is probably never going to be a part of my life anyway, so hearing about what's going on with it and Madison is only going to make things harder for me." 

"I understand." 

Ephram nodded and went upstairs to his room. 

---

Bright's "teen hangout" had been coming along, and by September, it was almost ready to open. Amy, Ephram, and their families were trying to forget about Madison and the baby. Although it seemed impossible for Ephram, he thought that the best thing to do with all of his emotional energy at that time was put it into loving Amy. 

"There. Does it look crooked to you?" Bright asked Ephram and Amy, who were standing hand in hand on the sidewalk looking at Bright's sign. It was a purplish-red color that read "Crash and Hope Café" in shiny silver letters. 

"Nope," Ephram said. "It looks perfect to me." 

"I'm so excited for you, Bright," Amy said going over to her brother and hugging him. 

"Me too," Bright said. "It's perfect. This is something I'm meant to do, I'm sure of it." 

"Me too," Amy replied. 

---

"Hey, Nina," Ephram found their next-door neighbor bustling around in the kitchen when he woke up one morning. 

"Good morning, Ephram," Nina smiled. 

"So, uh… where's Dad?" 

"Oh, he took Delia to school this morning. Can you believe that snow? And it's not even October yet." 

"Yeah, weird… but not too weird for Everwood," Ephram poured himself a bowl of cereal and sighed. "Lots of weird things happen here." 

"Something bothering you, Ephram?" 

Ephram shook his head and hesitated before looking at Nina. "It's just… nothing," Ephram brushed it off. "I'm just being moody this morning." 

Nina laughed. "Oh, come on." 

"I love Amy so much, you know? And I love Delia, and… Dad, I guess… but I still haven't accepted the fact that Madison is out there somewhere carrying a child that's mine, and I can't be in its life. I mean, I know its not even born yet, but… it's just been bugging me," Ephram sighed and took another bite. 

"It's okay, Ephram. I really think you and your dad are doing the right thing for right now by just leaving it alone. After all, to tell you the truth, I don't think you'll be out of this baby's life forever. That just wouldn't be right," Nina gave Ephram a reassuring pat on the back before getting her stuff together. "You'd better go," she said, pointing at the clock. 

"Yeah, you're right. I don't have time to eat this," Ephram said, pouring his cereal out into the sink. "What was I thinking?" 

Nina laughed. "See you later, Ephram." 

----- 

La di da... please review! 


	5. Time

A/N: Sorry, I hope this chapter didn't take too long! It's just that I'm usually very busy on the weekends, which is why it took me longer for this chapter. Anyways, here it is :) Thanks for all the reviews so far! 

**Recap:**

Amy sat up. "Everything's wrong!" She practically yelled. "Don't you get it? I'm in love with you and… and I'm upset that I didn't get there first. I didn't get to you first." 

"Wait… you're in love with me?" 

**Chapter 5:**

"Hey," Amy greeted Ephram when he walked up to meet her at the school's main doors. 

"Hey." Ephram gave her a quick kiss. 

Amy smiled. "That was nice." 

He grinned and put his arm around her as they walked toward their lockers. 

"Why so happy today?" 

"I dunno, I just am," he said. It wasn't that he was perfectly content with the world, he was just so in love with Amy, that every time he saw her she completely brightened his day. "Um, hey… I've been meaning to ask you… does your dad know yet that… well, you know… about Madison?" 

Amy hesitated. "Well, I think so. I mean, I don't know why he wouldn't, since he does work with your dad and all." 

Ephram nodded. 

---

One night a few weeks later while Ephram was in the living room reading with Delia, who was still oblivious to Madison's pregnancy, the phone rang. It was already almost 10:00, so Ephram figured it was Amy. No one else usually called this late. Ephram smiled at the thought. He loved Amy so much. He couldn't believe they had already been together four months. They had gotten even closer in the past few weeks. He picked up the phone, ready to have their nightly chat, but was surprised on who spoke over the line. Ephram's smile quickly faded off his face. 

"Oh my god… Ephram?" It was Madison. Her voice sounded panicked. "Oh god…" 

"What the hell," Ephram quickly mumbled under his breath. "Madison? What… what's wrong? Why are you calling here?" 

"Madison?!" Delia screeched. "Let me talk to her!" 

Ephram waved her off. 

"I didn't have anyone else to call," Madison said through clenched teeth. "Where's your dad? I…" Madison gasped. "I think I'm having the baby." 

"What?!" Ephram freaked. It was only the middle of October. The baby couldn't have been due until sometime in December. "That's not possible," he said. "Wait, where are you? You're supposed to be in San Francisco." 

"I was here in Everwood visiting my mom, I was alo—oh," Madison wheezed out, "For God's sake, get your dad!" Madison ordered. "Ohh, I can't believe I let myself get pregnant… by a 16 year old," Ephram heard her growl. He knew she was only saying it because she was in pain and, well, pregnant, but it still hurt him. He dropped the phone and ran upstairs to find his dad. "Dad! DAD!" Ephram's voice rang out through the house. 

Delia looked worried. 

"What? What?" Andy said coming out of the bathroom with his hair wet. 

"Madison's on the phone, she-she-she's having the baby!" 

Delia's look on her face turned from concerned to horrified. 

"What—why did she call here?" Andy asked. "Wait, isn't it October?" 

"YES!" Ephram said. "Just go talk to her!" 

Andy rushed into his bedroom and picked up his own phone. "Madison?… Okay, calm down, where are you?… uh huh… uh huh… I'll be right over." Andy grabbed his coat getting ready to run out the door. 

"DAD!" Ephram yelled frantically. 

Andy froze, realizing that his son had no idea what was going on. "Ephram, Madison's going into labor early. This baby is probably going to be premature, but…" 

"Dad, I have to go." 

"Ephram, I can't allow that." 

"I don't care! I'm going, come on!" Ephram grabbed his coat and rushed out the door before Andy could say anything else. 

Delia just stood in the middle of the living room, confused and scared. 

"Oh, Delia," Andy said rushing back in the house. "Come on, I'll drop you off at Nina's." He picked her up and flew out the door once again. 

---

Ephram and Andy tried to get to Madison's mother's house as fast as they could. Ephram drove. "1202 Blossom Drive…" Andy muttered. "Stop, Ephram, this is it." Ephram parked on the side of the road and they both rushed out. 

Andy knocked on the door. He waited for a moment, then opened the door. It was unlocked. "Madison!" He yelled. "Madison!" 

"Great…" Ephram mumbled. 

"Ephram, go check upstairs. I'll look around down here," Andy ordered. Ephram did as he was told. 

The father and son duo searched the house for a full fifteen to twenty minutes, with no sign of Madison or anyone else. 

"She's not here," Andy said when he and Ephram met back at the front door. 

---

"It was the weirdest thing," Ephram told Amy the next evening. They were in Ephram's room, just spending time together. Ephram was leaning back on the headboard of his bed with Amy's head in his lap. "My dad called your dad and the Denver hospital to see if she was checked in. But she wasn't." 

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation," Amy assured him. 

There were a few moments of silence before Ephram spoke again. "I'm so glad you're okay with this," he asked. 

Amy sat up. "There's no reason why I shouldn't be," she said. "I love you," Tears still came to her eyes every time she said those words to him, "I won't let this mess us up, not after we've waited for so long." 

Ephram smiled. "Me neither," he said, before giving her a passionate kiss. 

---

"I called Madison's number in San Francisco again today," Andy told Ephram one night at dinner. "I got nothing. I just can't track her down." 

Ephram sighed. "Don't worry about it, Dad," he said. "I'm sure there's a reason for all of this." 

_If only I knew what it was,_ Ephram thought. 

"Dad, how is Madison having a baby?" Delia asked innocently. 

Andy hesitated. "Well, you know where babies come from, honey. We've talked about this before." 

"But why is she having one now?" 

"Well, I don't know, Delia," Andy said honestly. "I don't know why she decided to have a baby," he said, implying that he didn't know why Madison and Ephram ever decided to have sex when they weren't ready. 

Delia settled with that answer, for now. Ephram put his head down and took a sip of water. 

---

Ephram and Amy held hands as they walked through the general store, looking for candy to buy for Halloween. "This should be fun," Amy said, smiling. "You and me, giving kids candy together at your house." She held up a bag of Starburst before putting it in the basket that Ephram was carrying. 

"Of course," Ephram said. "Giving candy to little kids, having them yell at you when you give them something they don't like, having you get onto me when I give them too much or too little…" 

Amy swatted Ephram playfully. 

"These are Delia's favorite," Holding up a bag of miniature Reese's peanut butter cups before putting them in the basket. 

"So…" Amy started slowly. "Do you want to dress up?" 

Ephram started laughing. "You're joking, right?" 

"Not really." 

"Amy, I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was five, and I hated it." 

"Oh, come on. We can both be some kind of famous couple or something. It'll be fun," Amy said. "I miss dressing up." 

Ephram thought about it. "Okay, if that's what you want to do, I suppose I could sacrifice," he said. "Just don't pick out anything that will make me hot, itchy, or totally embarrassed." 

Amy just looked at him and smiled before linking arms with him and putting her head on his shoulder. 

----- 

I'm sorry if things have been kind of slow/boring lately, especially for E/A fans... but it's going to get better, I promise! I'm getting a little discouraged because there aren't enough E/A fans on this site, but please, review if you're enjoying the story. I've already started on chapter 6, so it should be up faster than this chapter was! 


	6. Ghosts

A/N: I liked writing this chapter, it was fun. Just thought you all should know that. This chapter is a little more lighthearted than the others so far, with the trick or treating and all. I hope you enjoy it. :) 

**Recap:**

Madison gasped. "I think I'm having the baby." 

--- 

"I called Madison's number in San Francisco again today," Andy told Ephram at dinner. "I got nothing. I just can't track her down." 

**Chapter 6:**

"Am I allowed to Trick or Treat at my own house?" Delia asked Ephram, dressed cutely as a pirate. _Typical Delia… so untypical,_ Ephram had thought while chuckling when she picked out her costume. 

"Of course," Ephram said, dropping a piece of her favorite candy into her bag. "And with that, your Trick or Treating venture has officially begun." 

Delia smiled and ran outside to meet Nina and Sam. Andy and Nina were taking the two children together. 

"Okay," Amy said, coming out of the bathroom in her sparkling Cinderella ball gown. Her hair was twisted up and she had on a little bit of shimmery makeup. "You've put it off long enough, Ephram," she said, handing him his costume. 

"Wow, Amy, you look beautiful," Ephram said meaningfully. 

"Yeah, yeah, quit stalling," Amy said playfully, pushing him towards the bathroom. 

Ephram rolled his eyes and went in. He came out a few minutes later in a Prince Charming suit. 

Amy had to try hard not to laugh. She was delighted that he had decided to do this with her, but it was so weird seeing him in a costume like that! 

"You're laughing!" Ephram said defensively. 

"No, I'm not," Amy covered it up by going to kiss him. When she pulled away she noticed a bit of shimmer on Ephram's lips. "Oops," she said, grabbing a tissue and wiping it off. This time Ephram couldn't help but laugh. Then the doorbell rang. "Come on," Amy said, grabbing his hand and the bowl of candy off the counter. 

Ephram opened the door. "Trick or treat!" Three loud voices rang out. It was Brittany, Delia's old friend, along with another girl and boy her age. Brittany was dressed obviously as a miniature Britney Spears. The other girl had on a hot pink dress, and Amy could tell she was wearing a blond wig with a hot pink bow tied in it. The boy was dressed suavely with his hair wet and combed over to the side. 

"I like your costume," the girl told Amy softly. 

Amy smiled. "Who are both of you supposed to be?" Amy asked the girl and boy as she and Ephram dropped some candy into their bags. 

"I'm Barbie," the girl said before pointing to the boy, "and he's Ken!" 

The young boy rolled his eyes a little. He didn't seem too happy with his costume. 

Amy laughed. "You both look very cute." 

"Bye, have fun," Ephram told the kids before shutting the door. 

"See, wasn't that fun?" Amy asked him playfully. 

Ephram just smiled. 

About an hour later, the doorbell rang for about the twentieth time. Amy was sitting on the living room couch, and Ephram was in the kitchen looking through the pantry for more candy. 

"Ugh, I don't know if I can stand to see one more witch. Why is it that EVERYONE dresses as a witch on Halloween?" Amy ranted not realizing anyone was listening. 

"Because they're SCARY!" Ephram yelled running into the living room, jumping over the couch to land right beside of Amy. 

She let out a high-pitched shriek. "You're so obnoxious," she joked. Ephram started tickling her. She was getting ready to shriek again when the doorbell rang again. "Stop, Ephram, stop!" Amy said, "There's kids at the door!" She pulled away and got up off the couch. Grabbing the bowl of candy, she opened the door. 

"Bright?" Amy said, dumbfounded. 

"Hey, little sis! Ooh, thanks," Bright said, grabbing a handful of candy. 

"Hey man, what are you doing here?" Ephram asked as Bright walked inside. 

"Eh, the costume party over at the Café kind of died down earlier than I expected, so I went ahead and closed up," Bright explained. 

"Well, kids are probably finishing up, it's 9:30," Amy said. 

"Yeah, I'm surprised that Dad and Nina aren't back with Delia and Sam yet," Ephram said. 

"Were you guys planning… um… you know, anything… special for tonight?" Bright asked tentatively. 

Ephram laughed. "No, not really. Why?" 

"How about we go back over to our place and crash for a while?" Bright said. 

"Sounds good to me," Ephram said. 

Just then, Andy, Nina, Sam, and Delia all walked in the house, looking beat. 

"Wait till you see how much candy I got!!" Delia yelled, running up to Ephram. 

"Sounds like you've already eaten half of it," Ephram joked. 

"I wanna see," Bright said, plopping down on the couch with Delia. 

"You can have a jawbreaker?" Delia offered Bright, blushing. 

"You're just about right, Ephram. I'm sure Delia and Sam sneaked more candy than they were supposed to on our way home," Nina said. "Come on, Sam, we'd better go. See you later, Andy," Nina said, kissing him on the cheek. 

Andy smiled. "Bye." 

Ephram smiled. He wondered what was up with his dad's relationship with Nina, but decided that then wasn't the best time to inquire about that. "Hey, Dad," he said. "I'm gonna go over to Bright's for a couple hours." 

"Okay, that's fine. Just be back by 11:30, alright?" 

"Will do," Ephram said. "Bye," he said, putting his arm around Amy and walking out the door. 

---

"Dad?" Delia asked her dad right before he was about to turn out her light for the night. 

"Yes?" Andy replied. 

"Do you think that all the ghosts come out on Halloween night?" 

"No, honey. Actually, I don't believe there are such things as ghosts. So I don't think you have anything to worry about." 

Delia nodded. Andy got up again to turn out the light, but was interrupted again. 

"Dad?" 

Andy sighed. "What is it, honey?" 

"Does Madison's baby have a daddy?" 

---

"So, Delia asked me last night about who Madison's baby's father was." Andy told Ephram the next day. 

Ephram winced. "What did she think?" When it came to he and Madison, he had always been concerned about Delia's emotions since the beginning. 

"I think she understood," Andy said. "I tried to explain the seriousness of the situation to her, but she just kept talking about how she was going to be an aunt." 

Ephram tried to smile. "You know, Dad, after all that's happened, I think I'd be happy if I just knew where the baby was. Because not even knowing if it's alright, or if it's in good care… it kills me." 

"I know." Andy said. 

"Well, I think I'm gonna turn in early," Ephram said. "But if Amy calls, wake me up, okay?" 

"Okay," Andy said with a small smile as Ephram headed upstairs. And somewhere, about 500 miles away, a wailing newborn baby was being carried upstairs to its crib by its weary mother. 

----- 

Coming up in chapter 7: a big arrival. Don't forget to check back in! ;) 


	7. We Looked Like Giants

A/N: Just to clear you all up on the timeline, starting in this chapter it is mid-November. I've really been cranking chapters out because I'm getting a lot of ideas, but I'm sure you all don't mind! ;) I also wanted to say, the chapters of all my stories are titled by a song, usually one that inspired the chapter. If you want to know more about that, just e-mail me at tiffanycareless-crush.net. Anyways, here's chapter 7! 

**Recap:**

"See you later, Andy," Nina said, kissing him on the cheek. 

Andy smiled. "Bye." 

--- 

"Does Madison's baby have a daddy?" 

**Chapter 7:**

_Three weeks later._

It was nearly eleven o'clock on a Friday night, and Ephram and Amy were on the couch in the Brown's living room. Andy and Delia had already gone to bed. A movie they had rented earlier was on the TV, but they weren't really paying attention to it. They were just talking, cuddled up. 

"You know, I think this is the first time we've been alone like this in a couple of weeks," Amy said, twisting her fingers around the ends of Ephram's hair. 

"I know," He said wistfully. "Senior year is harder than I thought it would be. Not really because of homework type stuff, just getting together applications and portfolios and things like that. I wish I'd known I was going to be this busy." 

"Well, it's okay," Amy said, laying her head down on his chest. "I think it's better this way, for now. It makes me all the more fond of you." 

Ephram just smiled and kissed the top of her head. Just as they were preparing to settle in silence for a while, there was a knock at the door. It actually sounded like more of a rap. At first, Ephram thought it was just the wind because the sound was so soft until he heard it a second time. 

"Is there someone at the door?" Amy asked. 

"It sounds like it," Ephram said half-worriedly as he got up, wondering who would be at their door that late. 

Amy shrunk back into the couch as Ephram looked through the small window near the top of the door. "I don't see anyone," he said, opening the door. He looked around and was about to go back in the house when he looked down. His breath got caught in his throat and he thought he was going to pass out from lack of air when he saw the carrier covered with layers and layers of blankets. There was a note tied to the handle of the carrier. He tore it off and opened it up. _"Kimberly Kellner-Brown. I can't do this. Don't call."_ That was all that it read. 

"Ephram, what is it?" Amy asked, coming up behind him. "Oh my god," she said under her breath. 

Ephram slowly turned to look at Amy. "It's a girl," he said in a trance, "I knew it would be a girl…" he squatted in front of the carrier and peeled the layers of blankets back. She was only one month old, but her dark brown hair was already evident. Kimberly immediately started crying. 

"Come on, Ephram, let's get her out of the cold," Amy said, concerned. She picked the carrier up. She and Ephram sat back down on the sofa and carefully set the carrier on the floor in front of them. "What does the note say?" She asked Ephram. 

"K-Kimberly Kellner-Brown," Ephram answered. 

"Is that it?" 

"I can't do this. Don't call," he finished. "Why would Madison do this?" 

"Taking care of a baby is a big responsibility, Ephram," Amy said. 

"So why would she drop this on me? Does she think that _I_ can handle it better than her or something? What bullshit!" Ephram said loudly, starting to get frustrated. 

"Ephram, stop, you're going to wake everybody up," Amy said quietly, rubbing his back slowly with one hand while rocking the carrier with the other. Kimberly was still crying softly. "Aren't you going to pick her up?" 

Ephram looked Amy square in the face. "I haven't held a baby since Delia." 

"That doesn't matter." 

Ephram reached down and took the baby in his arms. He was surprised at how right it felt. He slowly rocked her. "Shh," he whispered. Soon, Kimberly's crying had subsided. 

Amy looked at Ephram and Kimberly with tears in her eyes. "See, you're a natural," she said to Ephram. 

"Amy, what am I going to do? I don't know anything about raising a kid. I'm only 17," he said, distressed. 

"It'll be okay, Ephram," Amy said, trying to convince herself through her words as much as she was trying to convince Ephram. "You have all kinds of people to help you. I know you can do this. As a matter of fact, I think that you'll be just a good of a parent, if not better, than Madison would be. Look, I know the situation kind of sucks, but…" Amy trailed off. 

"I know," Ephram said. "I need to face reality, you're right." 

Amy just looked at him and shrugged a little. 

"Thank you for having so much faith in me," he said. "I love you." 

Amy just smiled. "Look, I'm really tired, do you want me to stay here? 'Cause I can, I just… need somewhere to crash for a while." 

"Can you really? You can sleep here on the couch if you want. I guess… I guess I'll just go upstairs with Kimberly," Ephram said, wondering how this was going to work. 

"You know what, it's okay, I'll just go up there with you," she said. "We'll figure something out." 

Once they got upstairs, Ephram set the carrier down right beside his bed. Amy was carrying the blankets. "I hope this will work for her to sleep in for the night," Ephram said. 

"The carrier or her clothes?" Amy asked. 

Ephram shrugged. "Both." Then he sighed. "This is going to require so much…" 

"Ephram, stop it. You're going to get through this, you're so not alone," she said, putting her arms around his waist and hugging him. "I'm sure everyone in this family will support you," Amy said. That was when she thought about her own family. What would they think about this? Ephram, raising the baby? Did they even know that he'd had one? Amy decided not to think about those questions right then, because she was getting distracted by Ephram, who was now sitting on his bed. 

"Amy?" He said, interrupting her thoughts. "I'll sleep on the floor, you can sleep here," he said, motioning toward the bed. 

Amy thought about this. "You know what, Ephram, it's okay. We can both sleep on the bed, we just don't have to do anything." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Absolutely." 

"Okay, then," he said, laying down on the side next to Kimberly. He peeked over the bed to look at her. "She's already asleep." He had a sudden thought. "Oh, god, Amy, what if she gets hungry?" 

"Well, it's 1AM now. Do you think she can last till 6?" 

"Maybe. I hope so." 

"Let's just get a few hours of sleep, then we'll go out shopping, okay?" 

"Okay," Ephram said, relaxing. Amy lay down next to him. "You mind if I do this?" Ephram asked, putting his arms around her and holding her. 

"Of course not," Amy said, kissing his arm. "Goodnight, Ephram." 

"'Night, Amy." Ephram said sleepily. "Goodnight, Kimberly." 

----- 

Like it? Not like it? Let me know what you thought! TBC, of course.


	8. All You Wanted

A/N: Yeah, um... hi. :D 

**Recap:**

There was a note tied to the handle of the carrier. He tore it off and opened it up. _"Kimberly Kellner-Brown. I can't do this. Don't call."_

--- Amy kissed his arm. "Goodnight, Ephram." 

"'Night, Amy." Ephram said sleepily. "Goodnight, Kimberly." 

**Chapter 8:**

The next morning Ephram awoke to the sound of Kimberly crying. It was only 5:30, but oddly enough, it didn't frustrate him much. He shook Amy a little bit. "Ames," he said softly in her ear. 

"Hmm?" She said, sleepily opening her eyes and stretching. 

"Kimberly's crying. Come on, we've gotta go out and get something to give her, right now." 

"Oh, okay," Amy said, getting out of bed. She looked in the mirror. She didn't look great, considering she had just slept in her clothes and makeup with her hair down. She ran her hands through her hair a few times. That would have to do. "Let's go," she said. 

Ephram was already holding Kimberly. "Would you take the carrier out to my car?" 

"Of course," Amy said. 

"Try to be quiet," Ephram said. "I'm sure everyone's still asleep." 

---

Ephram scanned the baby formula section of the grocery store, trying to figure out which would be the best kind for Kimberly. Amy was holding her. She seemed to calm down a bit more when someone was carrying her other than when she was just sitting in her carrier. 

"Here," Ephram said, picking up a can and reading it. "For newborns to 3 months. This should be good." He put it in the cart and grabbed four other ones to go along with it. He found a section of bottles nearby and put one in the cart as well. 

"I don't know if we have time to get anything else, Ephram," Amy said. "She seems really hungry." 

He nodded and smiled. He couldn't help it, seeing Amy holding his baby, the way she was being so supportive. "Okay, let's go." 

---

Ephram buckled Kimberly's carrier into his car as well as he knew how and climbed into the driver's seat. Amy sat in the back with Kimberly so that she could feed her on the way home. 

"How do you think this is gonna go down, with your dad and all?" Amy asked Ephram as they made their way back to his house. 

"I don't know," Ephram said. "Hopefully not too bad. It's not like this has anything to do with me anyway, so I don't think he'll try to kill me or anything like that." 

"You're right." 

Ephram remembered that Amy hadn't called her parents since the night before. "Amy, do I need to take you home? Do you think you're going to be in trouble?" 

"Actually, yes, please. I think I'll be okay though as far as punishment goes, it's only eight o'clock and I hope that Bright has at least tried to cover for me." 

Ephram pulled into the Abbott's driveway a few minutes later. "Bye, Amy," he said. "I love you… and thank you so, so much," he said gratefully. 

Amy leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Call me in a few hours." She turned to Kimberly. Amy kissed her own hand and put it on the tiny child's forehead. "Bye bye, Kimberly. Hopefully I'll see you soon." 

After dropping Amy off, Ephram drove the short distance back to his house. He took a deep breath before carrying Kimberly into the house. His dad was probably in the living room, drinking coffee, reading the Pinecone. Delia was probably still asleep, with it being Saturday morning. 

He found out he was right when he walked in, sure enough. Ephram had decided to go the direct route, to just carry Kimberly in and show her to Andy. Andy was sitting on the couch reading the paper. He looked up when he heard Ephram come in. "Hey Ephram, where were y—" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw the carrier. "Oh, Ephram," was all he could say. 

Ephram just nodded slightly and went to sit down next to his dad. "She was on the doorstep last night." 

Andy looked shock. "I can't believe Madison would do this," he said. 

"Me neither," Ephram said, "But she did. She left a note and everything." Ephram pulled the note out of his pocket and showed it to his dad. 

"Wow," was all Andy could say. He fixed his eyes on Kimberly. "She really is beautiful, Ephram," he said, the realization that he was seeing his first grandchild for the very first time hitting him. Suddenly Andy started crying a little. 

"Dad," Ephram said. 

"No, it's alright," Andy said, putting a hand up. "She's just… can I?" Andy said, beginning to unbuckle Kimberly from her carrier. 

"Sure," Ephram said. 

Andy lifted his new granddaughter out of her seat and cradled her in his arms. An overwhelming sense of love and peace filled his heart as Kimberly cooed softly. 

"Dad," Ephram said. "Do you think this is the right thing? Having her here with us right now?" 

Andy continued to stare at his granddaughter for a few minutes before looking back up at Ephram. Somehow, he knew. "Yes. I do." 

---

By nightfall the next evening, not only did all of the Brown's find out about Kimberly, but the Feeney's, the Abbott's, and possibly a few other families in Everwood all knew as well. Everyone was perfectly fine with it. As a matter of fact, they were almost content. Except for one of them. That one, being Harold Abbott. 

As strange as it was, Bright and Amy's parents never had even heard about Madison's pregnancy. Somehow the Abbott kids had managed to let four months go by, assuming that their parents knew, when it was a fact that they did not. Edna and Irv had known, but had decided to not say anything about it the Harold and Rose, just in case they didn't know and Andy didn't want them to know. Andy really had been serious about confidentiality this time. 

"Amy, I-I just can't allow you to see this boy any longer. You're simply not ready," Harold told his daughter that night in a discussion he, along with Rose, was having with her. Although Rose didn't particularly agree with what his husband was telling her, she had decided to just keep her mouth shut for the time being. 

"But you were perfectly fine with it until you knew!" Amy shouted. "He's had an ex-girlfriend who was pregnant, he's had a daughter for the past four months, how is it any different now?" Amy was upset. She couldn't believe that her parents were going to try to tear her away from Ephram. 

"It's very, very different," Harold said gravely. "He now has a CHILD to take care of Amy, do you really think that you are ready to be in a relationship with a father? You are seventeen, and need to be thinking about college and a future career. Not babies," Harold said the last word like it was the word "spiders." 

"I don't care," she said. "I am ready, no matter what, because I love him. I LOVE him, Dad!" 

Harold rolled his eyes. "Amy, you are forbidden to see or talk to that boy. If I ever find out that you disobeyed me, there will be serious punishment in your future." He began to get up and walk out. 

"MOM!" Amy cried out desparately, her wet tears now beginning to overflow. 

"Come on, Rose," Harold said, walking out. 

"Mom," Amy sobbed again after he had left. 

Rose watched her husband walk down the hall from the doorway. She turned to Amy and said softly, "Go ahead and call him one last time. Just don't stay on long." 

Amy nodded and began to furiously wipe at her tears. 

---

Ephram was sitting at the kitchen table feeding Kimberly when the phone rang. He figured someone else would answer it. 

"Ephram," Delia said a few seconds later, walking into the room with the phone. "It's Amy," she said, handing the phone over to him, "And she sounds like she's crying." 

Suddenly Ephram became very concerned. He held Kimberly's bottle up with one hand while holding the phone with the other. "Amy? Amy?" 

He heard Amy sniffle. "Ephram," she choked, not knowing what else to say. 

"Amy, talk to me… are you okay?" 

"I… my parents found out about Kimberly… and they… they never knew…" 

Ephram closed his eyes, not wanting to think about where this was going. 

"They won't let me see you anymore, Ephram," she said, starting to sob again. 

Ephram felt his heart drop to his feet. He felt his own tears immediately. "Amy…" he said, feeling helpless. 

"I know, I know," she said barely in a whisper. Her heart hurt so much she could barely speak. 

"I'm sorry." 

----- 

Don't kill me. =( Of course, Ephram and Amy are meant for each other... but you'll just have to see how it plays out! 


	9. Best Of Me

A/N: Here's a fresh chapter! School is officially out for me, yay! I know you don't care about that, but I thought you might care about more frequent updates. :P Please keep reviewing, you have no idea how much it helps me! 

**Recap:**

"Do you think this is the right thing? Having her here with us right now?" 

Andy continued to stare at his granddaughter for a few minutes before looking back up at Ephram. Somehow, he knew. "Yes. I do." 

--- 

"They won't let me see you anymore, Ephram," she said, sobbing. 

**Chapter 9:**

"But, we'll still see each other at school," Ephram said. "We can still be together, we just don't have to tell them…" 

"They'll find out somehow," Amy said. "Bright will be around, and he'll want me to obey them anyway. Plus, it just won't be the same," she said. "God, I can't believe this… I'm not going to be able to spend Thanksgiving with you…" She cried some more. 

The two stayed on the phone, keeping contact for as long as they could, until Amy's parents finally made her go to bed. 

---

The next few days were hell for Ephram. He and Amy would walk by each other at school, but not say anything. It was hard, but he knew Amy was determined to obey her parents, because she was just that kind of person. Especially after the trouble she'd been in before. He knew she didn't want to cause any more problems with her family. 

Sometimes they would brush against each other, sometimes accidentally, but sometimes purposefully. A couple of times Ephram had seen the tears in Amy's eyes after they'd touch. He wanted so badly to rush over and take her in his arms. But he couldn't. 

---

It was raining really hard one morning as Amy was getting ready to leave for school. She went outside and was trying to put her umbrella up when a huge clap of thunder sounded. She jumped, one of her feet landing in a muddy puddle. "Dammit," she said, the water getting all over her jeans. 

"Having some trouble?" A familiar voice called out from the street. 

Amy looked up, seeing the brown hair and strangely cold hazel eyes. 

It was Tommy. 

"Uh, um…" She stammered, bewildered. 

"It's alright," he said, walking through the yard to meet her. "I have some extra room in my mom's van. Wanna go for a ride?" 

Amy hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. She didn't know exactly why she did; maybe because the thought of seeing Ephram and not being able to talk to him again made her want to cry. She followed Tommy over to his truck and got in. "Where are we going?" She asked warily. 

"We'll just go get a bite to eat," Tommy answered. "How are you, Amy?" He asked, sounding sincere. It was wild, the way he had just showed up by her house like that, but Amy didn't think about it much. 

"I'm okay," she answered. 

"Really," he said. "'Cause you don't look it." 

Amy rolled her eyes. "Well, thanks." 

"I didn't mean it like that." 

Amy just shook her head and didn't say anything else for about 30 minutes. Suddenly she realized that she didn't know where they were anymore. They were just driving down a back road alongside a big open field. 

"Uh, I thought you said we were going to get something to eat," she said. 

Tommy just smirked and didn't say anything. Amy's eyes grew wide as she said, "Tommy, what's going on?" 

Tommy suddenly veered to the side of the road and stopped. He locked the doors. Amy tried frantically to get out, knowing something was wrong, but Tommy had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to the back of the large van before she could do anything. The floor of the van was covered with gray carpet. There were a couple of boxes here and there, but other than that, it was wide open. Amy cried out as Tommy forced her to the floor and hovered over top of her, holding her wrists down. "TOMMY, STOP!" Amy screamed. She couldn't believe how strong he was. Must be the drugs, Amy thought awkwardly. "What are you doing?!" 

Tommy began to reach for something in one of the boxes. Amy began to panic and did the only thing she knew to do—she kicked him right where it hurt. "Ugh!" He said, suddenly shoving her across the floor in frustration. Amy winced at the burn that the carpet was forming on her back. She began to kick at the back doors of the van furiously as Tommy was still doubled over in pain. She got them open just in time and scrambled out, starting to run away. Tommy got up and started chasing her as fast as he could. 

Amy began getting frustrated as she kept running, tripping a few times as she went because she was so scared. _Come on, Abbott, you can do this,_ she told herself as she gasped for breath. Tommy eventually caught up with her and grabbed her. Somehow Amy managed to throw him off of her, and she took her chances by rolling down a steep hill that went down into the big field. To her surprise, Tommy stopped chasing her. He just yelled some obscene things and went back to the van, then driving away. 

Even though she knew he had stopped chasing her, Amy continued to run all the way across the field to the edge of the woods before she stopped. She yelled in frustration before collapsing to the ground, crying. 

---

"I swear, if I find out that she's snuck over there…" Harold said to Rose that night when their daughter still wasn't home yet. 

"Sweetheart, if you're so worried, then why don't you call over there and find out?" 

"Well, I am going to do just that," He said, stomping off to get the phone. 

"Hello?" Andy answered after Harold had called. 

"Hello, Andy. By any chance, is my daughter in your presence?" 

Andy looked around absent-mindedly. "Well, no, not that I know of. I'm pretty sure she's not here. Ephram's in the kitchen alone, doing some pre-made baby bottles." 

Harold huffed. For some reason, he was now actually starting to wish that Amy were there. "Alright, thank you," Harold said. "Oh, and would you please let me know if she turns up? She hasn't been home since this morning." 

"Of course, Harold. Goodbye," Andy said, hanging up. 

Harold didn't say anything else before hanging up and turning to Rose, shaking his head. "She hasn't called, Rose," he said bitterly. "I hope she's not in any danger." 

"Well, do you think we should call the police?" 

Harold just shook his head. "They wouldn't do anything about it. It hasn't even been 24 hours. If she's not here in the morning when we wake up, we'll call. For right now, let's just get some rest." 

---

"Who was that?" Ephram asked, wakling into the living room. 

"Just Dr. Abbott," Andy answered, trying to avoid the question. 

"Oh," Ephram said sadly, reminded of Amy. If there was any chance it was about her… "What'd he want?" 

Andy sighed. "Amy's missing." 

Ephram's eyes went wide. "I have to go find her," he said, grabbing his coat and keys without even thinking. 

"Ephram, stop!" Andy yelled before he got to the door. "I'm sure she's fine, Harold was just asking if she was over here. They haven't seen her since this morning." 

"Dad, I know Amy. She wouldn't just go off without calling her dad, she cares too much. I'm going to go look around some places she might be," Ephram said, walking out the door. He couldn't stand the thought of Amy being somewhere alone, feeling so depressed that she couldn't call anyone. _If she's sitting by herself at Mama Joy's or at the café I don't know where else on earth she would be, unless she's run away or something. And that's too dangerous…_ Ephram's mind just kept reeling and reeling and reeling. 

"Ephram—" Andy tried to call after his son, but it was too late. He was already gone. 

----- 

Will Dr. Abbott change his mind? Will Ephram and Amy reunite even if he doesn't? Find out in the next chapter! ;) 


	10. Find Your Way Back

A/N: Sorry it took me a little longer to get this chapter up, I've been busy. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking when I said I wouldn't be as busy during the summer! =P But don't worry, I'm not going to quit writing. Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. 

**Recap:**

"Dammit," she said. 

"Having some trouble?" A familiar voice called out from the street. 

--- 

Andy sighed. "Amy's missing." 

Ephram's eyes went wide. "I have to go find her," he said, grabbing his coat and keys without even thinking. 

**Chapter 10:**

Ephram had checked Mama Joy's, Crash and Hope Café, and even the Hart's house with no sign of Amy. He looked at the clock in his car. It read 12:17. He decided to call Bright's cell phone, knowing he'd have it in his room and turned on, even if he was asleep. It rang about four times before Bright picked up. 

"Hmm," Bright mumbled groggily. 

"Hey, it's me, you gotta tell me if Amy's there." 

"Ugh," Bright said, ticked off that someone would call and ask him something like that while he was asleep. "Of course she is, leave me alone, man." 

"No, wait, are you sure? 'Cause your parents called my house tonight and said she was missing." 

Bright didn't know about it. He had been out until around eleven that night and his parents had already been in bed. He assumed that Amy had been, too. "You're kidding…" he said, now awake, turning on the lamp beside his bed. 

"So she's not there?" Ephram asked frantically. 

"Let me check," Bright said, leaving his room to walk across the hall. He peeked through the crack in Amy's door. The light was off, but he somehow knew she wasn't in there. He pushed it open to find his suspicions were true. 

"She's not there." 

"Shit," Ephram mumbled. "Bright, I'm really worried about her. I have this feeling… where else can I look?" 

"I don't know, man. Why don't you just go home. I'm sure Mom and Dad will call the cops about it in the morning," Bright tired to convince Ephram. 

"That might be too long," Ephram said. "I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Talk to you later," Ephram said, hanging up the phone. He would drive around all night until he found her. He knew there was a reason why she hadn't called, and he had a feeling that it was because she wasn't able to. 

"Eph—" Bright shook his head as the dial tone rung in his ears. 

---

Meanwhile, a cold, frightened Amy whimpered softly in the dark, pulling her knees into her chest. _You're so stupid,_ she told herself. _You got in a car alone with a crackhead, what are you insane?_ Amy shook her head and wiped at her tears. Not knowing what else to do, she kept blaming herself for everything. _If I hadn't been so stupid last year,_ she scolded herself. _Ephram would have never gotten with Madison and our relationship wouldn't be this complicated. If I had not took him for granted every day after Colin died. If I hadn't made that stupid speech at Reverend Keyes' wedding. Then I would have been able to be with Ephram without Madison or their baby getting in the way, and I wouldn't have been walking alone to school this morning, and I never would have gotten in that van…_

But Amy knew that things probably wouldn't have been any better. She and Ephram would have been totally inexperienced as far as relationships went, and probably would have gotten frustrated and broken up within the first few months. Yeah, Kimberly was here now, but she was the biggest blessing in disguise Amy had ever known of. 

But all the same, at that exact moment in time, she was afraid that it soon all wouldn't matter. It was snowing and she had no coat, just a pair of torn, muddy jeans and a thin long-sleeved button-up shirt. She was lost in a whirlwind of trees and branches and sticks, without water or food. It had been 12 hours since she'd given up on trying to find her way home, scared she was only going to isolate herself from the people she loved more. She would give anything to see any of them right now. Especially Ephram. Tears stung her eyes just thinking about his name. 

"Amy… Amy…" 

Amy made a very feeble attempt at laughing at herself when she imagined him calling her name. She began to pile up some leaves to lay on. 

"Amy…" Now she was really confused, it sounded like a voice in the far-off distance. "Amy!" The voice called, getting closer. 

_Someone's coming!_ Her own voice rang through her head. "Ephram…" she whispered, standing up. "I'm h—" She tried to yell, buth er voice got caught in her throat. She realized she hadn't spoken or had anything to drink in more than 12 hours. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I'm here!" She called out as loud as she could. 

Ephram froze in position when he thought he heard her voice. "Amy! Is that you! Oh god, please tell me it's you…" 

"It's me," Amy forced out. Now she was crying, which didn't make it any easier to yell. 

Ephram listened and started running towards her voice. He was sure he looked terribly awkward; he had his hands out in front of him making sure he didn't run into any trees and already looked funny when he ran, but he didn't care. It was dark, but when he could see her blonde hair glimmering in the little bit of moonlight that there was when he came up on her. 

Amy looked up. "Ephram!" She cried, getting up and throwing her arms around him. 

Ephram embraced her. "Amy, what you doing out here?" 

"Tommy…" she mumbled into his shoulder. 

Ephram felt his blood start to boil. He began wanting to kick himself for not ever telling her that he was a crackhead in the first place, but decided that it was too late for that. He pulled Amy away from him for a second and looked her up and down. She looked beautiful to him, but knew she was probably feeling awful. Her jeans were tattered, her lips pale. "Come on, let's go," Ephram said, guiding her back to his car. 

Once they were in the car they heat blasting at full and Amy wrapped up in a blanket Ephram had had stored in his trunk. "I can't believe you found me out here," Amy said. "I thought I was going to die." 

Ephram turned to her. "I wouldn't let that happen." 

Amy stared at him for a few minutes before looking down at her hands. "Well, I'm glad you didn't." 

Ephram started fishing around in his glove compartment and in the back seat. He found a bottle of water and package of crackers and handed them to Amy. "Here, have those," he said. 

"Thanks." 

"So… has your dad said anything else about… you know… us?" 

Amy just shook her head, never looking up. 

"I-I-I know it's only been a week, but, I really miss you." 

Amy continued to stare at the package of crackers in her lap. 

"Amy, come on, look at me," he said softly. He leaned onto the middle compartment and just touching her cheek for a split second. She slowly raised her head and turned it toward him. They both leaned in for the kiss. They kissed for a couple seconds before Amy pulled away as tears formed in her eyes. She quickly looked out the window as Ephram stared at her sadly. 

He started the car and drove back towards Everwood. 

----- 

I hope you all keep reviewing, you're all great! :) 


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